How would British / UK schools stack up against American / US schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think as much of engineers or computer science majors who haven’t done the gen eds. Everyone should be well rounded, even engineers. I mean have you see the way some people write?

I totally agree. I don’t agree with all these people who are extolling the notion of specialization starting at 16 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:37 articulated my DC's take-away too.

Most US high schools (and many colleges) are designed to be well-rounded, taking cores in all subjects and just a few electives all the way to age ~18 (HS graduation). The UK counterparts end the well-rounded part at age 16 and then either stop school, go to trade school, or continue a path toward college. That path is specialized, so by the time they get to university, they have mostly been studying in their primary area for the last years of high school.

So the US student interested in studying the same subject at uni has had fewer classes in it and has to do a lot of extra work on the side in the subject (this is where some ECs ARE relevant) -- and yes, you have to know what you want to study before you apply. This works to the advantage of kids in public magnets and against kids in traditional liberal arts schools.

If you apply, all they really care about are your SAT scores, AP scores that are related to your intended area of study -- and you have to get a 5 (3 5s for Ox, 5 5s for Bridge) -- and how well you can respond to questions about the subject in your interview. They don't care about your GPA or other courses you took. They don't care if you took 15 AP classes if 13 of them are unrelated to your college path. If you apply to study physics, they really don't care that you aced AP U.S. History; they want to see everything you've don in math and science, particularly physics -- and one AP Physics class will not be enough.

Also most courses are three years, not the US traditional four (or more). Sounds appealing? The hitch is in what comes after university as others have pointed out. Also, you miss out on getting the US internships that lead to top jobs, unless you scramble to make that happen on your own from afar.

these are the reasons why my DC (CS major) wants to go to uni in the UK. DC hates the gen ed classes.

Many larger high tech companies recruit from some of the unis in the UK.

And there are *definitely* internships in UK unis.

If you're an American citizen and you are going across the pond to pursue a CS degree... you're shooting yourself in the foot. Hordes of Brits and Europeans working in tech make the opposite jump every year.

Americans (and clearly the Brits themselves) really, really overrate the UK, generally speaking, and it's clear that this unwarranted Anglophilia extends to higher education. You can get a perfectly good CS degree from so many schools in the states.

Unless, of course, DC wants to settle down in the UK. Then best of luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t think as much of engineers or computer science majors who haven’t done the gen eds. Everyone should be well rounded, even engineers. I mean have you see the way some people write?

They do their gen ed in HS, which is way more rigorous than here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many differences that start way before University.
The Brits start to specialize much earlier. Kids heading towards the sciences are taking nearly all science classes by the time they are in HS. The same is true for arts. I think of the MIT type kid as the equivalent pre university student here in this country.
Their sciences are a step ahead because of this.
The tutorial system takes the brightest young adults and gives them relatively intense attention (not for everyone). The idea is not to intimidate though.
They DO NOT CARE ABOUT EXTRA CURRICULAR activities.
Grades will be lower, they are mature enough to know that no one is perfect.
I have never met an incompetent person coming out of Oxbridge.
I have met some incompetent people who have come out of HYP.
Endowments different...socialization of education.

I'm one of the Brit PPs who went to Cambridge. This is arrant nonsense. I can only assume you don't know many Oxbridge graduates.

Seriously. I’m not British, but my sister went to Cambridge (albeit for an MPhil) and I’ve spent a bunch of time over there. Just like any great school, there are smart people graduating from Oxbridge and there are incompetent people there.

Ok OK, I will fix this...to make up for this statement, I will say that US HYP grads are more well rounded and more outgoing..? Does that help?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:37 articulated my DC's take-away too.

Most US high schools (and many colleges) are designed to be well-rounded, taking cores in all subjects and just a few electives all the way to age ~18 (HS graduation). The UK counterparts end the well-rounded part at age 16 and then either stop school, go to trade school, or continue a path toward college. That path is specialized, so by the time they get to university, they have mostly been studying in their primary area for the last years of high school.

So the US student interested in studying the same subject at uni has had fewer classes in it and has to do a lot of extra work on the side in the subject (this is where some ECs ARE relevant) -- and yes, you have to know what you want to study before you apply. This works to the advantage of kids in public magnets and against kids in traditional liberal arts schools.

If you apply, all they really care about are your SAT scores, AP scores that are related to your intended area of study -- and you have to get a 5 (3 5s for Ox, 5 5s for Bridge) -- and how well you can respond to questions about the subject in your interview. They don't care about your GPA or other courses you took. They don't care if you took 15 AP classes if 13 of them are unrelated to your college path. If you apply to study physics, they really don't care that you aced AP U.S. History; they want to see everything you've don in math and science, particularly physics -- and one AP Physics class will not be enough.

Also most courses are three years, not the US traditional four (or more). Sounds appealing? The hitch is in what comes after university as others have pointed out. Also, you miss out on getting the US internships that lead to top jobs, unless you scramble to make that happen on your own from afar.

these are the reasons why my DC (CS major) wants to go to uni in the UK. DC hates the gen ed classes.

Many larger high tech companies recruit from some of the unis in the UK.

And there are *definitely* internships in UK unis.

If you're an American citizen and you are going across the pond to pursue a CS degree... you're shooting yourself in the foot. Hordes of Brits and Europeans working in tech make the opposite jump every year.

Americans (and clearly the Brits themselves) really, really overrate the UK, generally speaking, and it's clear that this unwarranted Anglophilia extends to higher education. You can get a perfectly good CS degree from so many schools in the states.

Unless, of course, DC wants to settle down in the UK. Then best of luck.

My kids are dual citizens. The reason why people want to come to the US is because there are more jobs here. Large tech firms hire in the UK, as well, but yes, there are more tech jobs here than over the pond.

Of course there are good unis here for CS. That is not the issue. DC just doesn't want to take gen ed. Also, DC is in a magnet program so DC is taking high level non STEM classes, as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are so many differences that start way before University.
The Brits start to specialize much earlier. Kids heading towards the sciences are taking nearly all science classes by the time they are in HS. The same is true for arts. I think of the MIT type kid as the equivalent pre university student here in this country.
Their sciences are a step ahead because of this.
The tutorial system takes the brightest young adults and gives them relatively intense attention (not for everyone). The idea is not to intimidate though.
They DO NOT CARE ABOUT EXTRA CURRICULAR activities.
Grades will be lower, they are mature enough to know that no one is perfect.
I have never met an incompetent person coming out of Oxbridge.
I have met some incompetent people who have come out of HYP.
Endowments different...socialization of education.

I'm one of the Brit PPs who went to Cambridge. This is arrant nonsense. I can only assume you don't know many Oxbridge graduates.

Seriously. I’m not British, but my sister went to Cambridge (albeit for an MPhil) and I’ve spent a bunch of time over there. Just like any great school, there are smart people graduating from Oxbridge and there are incompetent people there.

Ok OK, I will fix this...to make up for this statement, I will say that US HYP grads are more well rounded and more outgoing..? Does that help?

More well-rounded I can see, given the liberal arts curriculum (though it would depend on the person and the composition of courses they took), but more outgoing? That’s a personality type.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:16:37 articulated my DC's take-away too.

Most US high schools (and many colleges) are designed to be well-rounded, taking cores in all subjects and just a few electives all the way to age ~18 (HS graduation). The UK counterparts end the well-rounded part at age 16 and then either stop school, go to trade school, or continue a path toward college. That path is specialized, so by the time they get to university, they have mostly been studying in their primary area for the last years of high school.

So the US student interested in studying the same subject at uni has had fewer classes in it and has to do a lot of extra work on the side in the subject (this is where some ECs ARE relevant) -- and yes, you have to know what you want to study before you apply. This works to the advantage of kids in public magnets and against kids in traditional liberal arts schools.

If you apply, all they really care about are your SAT scores, AP scores that are related to your intended area of study -- and you have to get a 5 (3 5s for Ox, 5 5s for Bridge) -- and how well you can respond to questions about the subject in your interview. They don't care about your GPA or other courses you took. They don't care if you took 15 AP classes if 13 of them are unrelated to your college path. If you apply to study physics, they really don't care that you aced AP U.S. History; they want to see everything you've don in math and science, particularly physics -- and one AP Physics class will not be enough.

Also most courses are three years, not the US traditional four (or more). Sounds appealing? The hitch is in what comes after university as others have pointed out. Also, you miss out on getting the US internships that lead to top jobs, unless you scramble to make that happen on your own from afar.

these are the reasons why my DC (CS major) wants to go to uni in the UK. DC hates the gen ed classes.

Many larger high tech companies recruit from some of the unis in the UK.

And there are *definitely* internships in UK unis.

If you're an American citizen and you are going across the pond to pursue a CS degree... you're shooting yourself in the foot. Hordes of Brits and Europeans working in tech make the opposite jump every year.

Americans (and clearly the Brits themselves) really, really overrate the UK, generally speaking, and it's clear that this unwarranted Anglophilia extends to higher education. You can get a perfectly good CS degree from so many schools in the states.

Unless, of course, DC wants to settle down in the UK. Then best of luck.

My kids are dual citizens. The reason why people want to come to the US is because there are more jobs here. Large tech firms hire in the UK, as well, but yes, there are more tech jobs here than over the pond.

Of course there are good unis here for CS. That is not the issue. DC just doesn't want to take gen ed. Also, DC is in a magnet program so DC is taking high level non STEM classes, as well.

And you don’t care about your kid having any education in non-STEM subjects, beyond high school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have noted, UK schools operate on a completely different wavelength from US schools. And the Oxbridge schools are also, to the best of my knowledge, different from the rest of the UK schools, being on the tutorial scheme.

American unis are world-renowned for the liberal arts approach, where students are encouraged to study a wider array of subjects. In this sense, the modern American uni is designed not just to educate, but to socialize and equip students to be "well-rounded leaders" and productive members of society. Hence the emphasis on "holistic" admissions and extracurricular achievements on top of scores.

I would generally agree with the notion that Oxbridge equals Ivy League+, but it's tricky because in my experience, the prestige/quality of schools in the UK drops off pretty significantly after those schools + perhaps UCL, Imperial, LSE. Whereas in America, there's a much more steady gradient of elite/prestigious schools. I would maybe even say that the top 5 UK schools are roughly equivalent to the top 25 or so schools in the US in terms of quality and reputation. This also lines up rather nicely with both countries' populations (US is about 5x population of UK).

What does it take for an American to be accepted to a good university there? What is the main admissions criteria?

The main criteria are test scores - AP, SAT (general and subject) and ACT. My kid applied to Oxford, so I am mostly familiar with that. They have a specified cutoffs for test scores, i.e. if you don’t have them, don’t bother to apply. Then they give you a written test (you can take it in US) which is really hard; barely anyone gets >80%, 65%+ gets you considered for admissions. Based on that test results plus the letter of recommendation and the p ersonal statement that is submitted with the application, the prospective students are selected for an in-person interview, which is effectively an oral exam.

This is unhelpful. ONLY Oxford administers an entry exam. No other university in the UK does this.

Cambridge does, too. Sometimes it is before interview; most often, however, it is at interview and specific to the subject area that you're applying to. Honestly, the Oxford approach might be better as it makes for a grueling two days at Cambridge. The whole process has been upended due to Covid so I'm not sure what it will look like moving forward.

Wrong. Oxford no longer requires exam

Right. Depends upon course of study but almost all require the admissions test. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests

Couple years ago, DC applied to several UK Unis including ICL for Comp Sci. After initial UCAS screening based on SATs/APs/relevant ECs, was invited for/went to the technical interviews. ICL result was an offer that specified he/she take one of the Cambridge Math entrance exams for final admittance. Took the exam at the British International School in DC. Only Maths test DC's ever cried during... Ended up with good offers elsewhere in the UK but decided to stay in the States.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm not British but I would strongly recommend weighing the long term considerations if sending DC to a UK school (or anywhere abroad, really). It is significantly more difficult to secure employment back in the states compared to an equivalent U.S. college. While there is an air of momentary mystique when it comes to British schools, American employers will, at the end of the day, prefer hires from American schools barring specific technical skillsets. And, well, wages and COL are generally more favorable in the states, and with the uncertainty around Brexit, I'm less bullish on the UK in the mid- to long-term.

There's also a lingering, underlying question if you're American of, "Well, why did they decide to do their undergrad abroad in the first place?" Yes,

If DC wants to settle in the UK, then this is all a non-issue.

I know two Oxbridge grads. One is the daughter of a distant family friend. She didn't get into her first-choice schools here and ended up at Cambridge. She's done well for herself and last I heard is working as a banker in London, with no plans to return back. She seems happy, and the family is happy with their choice.

The other guy I know is Australian, graduated from Oxford, moved here. He spent over a year (!) unemployed and having a tough time finding a job but is now working in consulting, I believe. I have a hard time imagining a Harvard or Yale or Stanford grad finding it difficult to land a job, well, anywhere.

+1

Why is this the first time in this thread that someone is actually acknowledging this? This is the most important people should be paying attention to. Unless your plan is to live in the UK, it's really not advisable to attend university there. Masters and grad programs are maybe a different story.

There are consulting/finance companies that recruit internationally. But I definitely agree that outside of those careers (and perhaps a few others) it would be tough to work in the US afterwards.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have noted, UK schools operate on a completely different wavelength from US schools. And the Oxbridge schools are also, to the best of my knowledge, different from the rest of the UK schools, being on the tutorial scheme.

American unis are world-renowned for the liberal arts approach, where students are encouraged to study a wider array of subjects. In this sense, the modern American uni is designed not just to educate, but to socialize and equip students to be "well-rounded leaders" and productive members of society. Hence the emphasis on "holistic" admissions and extracurricular achievements on top of scores.

I would generally agree with the notion that Oxbridge equals Ivy League+, but it's tricky because in my experience, the prestige/quality of schools in the UK drops off pretty significantly after those schools + perhaps UCL, Imperial, LSE. Whereas in America, there's a much more steady gradient of elite/prestigious schools. I would maybe even say that the top 5 UK schools are roughly equivalent to the top 25 or so schools in the US in terms of quality and reputation. This also lines up rather nicely with both countries' populations (US is about 5x population of UK).

What does it take for an American to be accepted to a good university there? What is the main admissions criteria?

The main criteria are test scores - AP, SAT (general and subject) and ACT. My kid applied to Oxford, so I am mostly familiar with that. They have a specified cutoffs for test scores, i.e. if you don’t have them, don’t bother to apply. Then they give you a written test (you can take it in US) which is really hard; barely anyone gets >80%, 65%+ gets you considered for admissions. Based on that test results plus the letter of recommendation and the p ersonal statement that is submitted with the application, the prospective students are selected for an in-person interview, which is effectively an oral exam.

This is unhelpful. ONLY Oxford administers an entry exam. No other university in the UK does this.

Cambridge does, too. Sometimes it is before interview; most often, however, it is at interview and specific to the subject area that you're applying to. Honestly, the Oxford approach might be better as it makes for a grueling two days at Cambridge. The whole process has been upended due to Covid so I'm not sure what it will look like moving forward.

Wrong. Oxford no longer requires exam

Right. Depends upon course of study but almost all require the admissions test. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests

Couple years ago, DC applied to several UK Unis including ICL for Comp Sci. After initial UCAS screening based on SATs/APs/relevant ECs, was invited for/went to the technical interviews. ICL result was an offer that specified he/she take one of the Cambridge Math entrance exams for final admittance. Took the exam at the British International School in DC. Only Maths test DC's ever cried during... Ended up with good offers elsewhere in the UK but decided to stay in the States.

A level exams are run on two boards - the Cambridge Board and the London Board- you're confusing A level Math exams with specific college entrance exams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have noted, UK schools operate on a completely different wavelength from US schools. And the Oxbridge schools are also, to the best of my knowledge, different from the rest of the UK schools, being on the tutorial scheme.

American unis are world-renowned for the liberal arts approach, where students are encouraged to study a wider array of subjects. In this sense, the modern American uni is designed not just to educate, but to socialize and equip students to be "well-rounded leaders" and productive members of society. Hence the emphasis on "holistic" admissions and extracurricular achievements on top of scores.

I would generally agree with the notion that Oxbridge equals Ivy League+, but it's tricky because in my experience, the prestige/quality of schools in the UK drops off pretty significantly after those schools + perhaps UCL, Imperial, LSE. Whereas in America, there's a much more steady gradient of elite/prestigious schools. I would maybe even say that the top 5 UK schools are roughly equivalent to the top 25 or so schools in the US in terms of quality and reputation. This also lines up rather nicely with both countries' populations (US is about 5x population of UK).

What does it take for an American to be accepted to a good university there? What is the main admissions criteria?

The main criteria are test scores - AP, SAT (general and subject) and ACT. My kid applied to Oxford, so I am mostly familiar with that. They have a specified cutoffs for test scores, i.e. if you don’t have them, don’t bother to apply. Then they give you a written test (you can take it in US) which is really hard; barely anyone gets >80%, 65%+ gets you considered for admissions. Based on that test results plus the letter of recommendation and the p ersonal statement that is submitted with the application, the prospective students are selected for an in-person interview, which is effectively an oral exam.

This is unhelpful. ONLY Oxford administers an entry exam. No other university in the UK does this.

Cambridge does, too. Sometimes it is before interview; most often, however, it is at interview and specific to the subject area that you're applying to. Honestly, the Oxford approach might be better as it makes for a grueling two days at Cambridge. The whole process has been upended due to Covid so I'm not sure what it will look like moving forward.

Wrong. Oxford no longer requires exam

Right. Depends upon course of study but almost all require the admissions test. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests

Couple years ago, DC applied to several UK Unis including ICL for Comp Sci. After initial UCAS screening based on SATs/APs/relevant ECs, was invited for/went to the technical interviews. ICL result was an offer that specified he/she take one of the Cambridge Math entrance exams for final admittance. Took the exam at the British International School in DC. Only Maths test DC's ever cried during... Ended up with good offers elsewhere in the UK but decided to stay in the States.

A level exams are run on two boards - the Cambridge Board and the London Board- you're confusing A level Math exams with specific college entrance exams.

Cambridge STEP.

SATs and APs are used as A-Level substitutes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm not British but I would strongly recommend weighing the long term considerations if sending DC to a UK school (or anywhere abroad, really). It is significantly more difficult to secure employment back in the states compared to an equivalent U.S. college. While there is an air of momentary mystique when it comes to British schools, American employers will, at the end of the day, prefer hires from American schools barring specific technical skillsets. And, well, wages and COL are generally more favorable in the states, and with the uncertainty around Brexit, I'm less bullish on the UK in the mid- to long-term.

There's also a lingering, underlying question if you're American of, "Well, why did they decide to do their undergrad abroad in the first place?" Yes,

If DC wants to settle in the UK, then this is all a non-issue.

I know two Oxbridge grads. One is the daughter of a distant family friend. She didn't get into her first-choice schools here and ended up at Cambridge. She's done well for herself and last I heard is working as a banker in London, with no plans to return back. She seems happy, and the family is happy with their choice.

The other guy I know is Australian, graduated from Oxford, moved here. He spent over a year (!) unemployed and having a tough time finding a job but is now working in consulting, I believe. I have a hard time imagining a Harvard or Yale or Stanford grad finding it difficult to land a job, well, anywhere.

+1

Why is this the first time in this thread that someone is actually acknowledging this? This is the most important people should be paying attention to. Unless your plan is to live in the UK, it's really not advisable to attend university there. Masters and grad programs are maybe a different story.

There are consulting/finance companies that recruit internationally. But I definitely agree that outside of those careers (and perhaps a few others) it would be tough to work in the US afterwards.

I work in recruitment for a consulting firm, and I can assure you that we would not overlook a candidate with an undergraduate degree from a school in the UK, particularly Oxbridge. It takes a lot of determination to attend school overseas which speaks to character, we are a global company and value the international experience, and the level of education from even the non-Oxbridge schools is on-par with if not better than many academic institutions in the US. Additionally, I'd say at least 30% of our employees have master's degrees from the UK. TBH we don't really care where students attended undergrad, but we do pay attention to where they went to grad school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm not British but I would strongly recommend weighing the long term considerations if sending DC to a UK school (or anywhere abroad, really). It is significantly more difficult to secure employment back in the states compared to an equivalent U.S. college. While there is an air of momentary mystique when it comes to British schools, American employers will, at the end of the day, prefer hires from American schools barring specific technical skillsets. And, well, wages and COL are generally more favorable in the states, and with the uncertainty around Brexit, I'm less bullish on the UK in the mid- to long-term.

There's also a lingering, underlying question if you're American of, "Well, why did they decide to do their undergrad abroad in the first place?" Yes,

If DC wants to settle in the UK, then this is all a non-issue.

I know two Oxbridge grads. One is the daughter of a distant family friend. She didn't get into her first-choice schools here and ended up at Cambridge. She's done well for herself and last I heard is working as a banker in London, with no plans to return back. She seems happy, and the family is happy with their choice.

The other guy I know is Australian, graduated from Oxford, moved here. He spent over a year (!) unemployed and having a tough time finding a job but is now working in consulting, I believe. I have a hard time imagining a Harvard or Yale or Stanford grad finding it difficult to land a job, well, anywhere.

+1

Why is this the first time in this thread that someone is actually acknowledging this? This is the most important people should be paying attention to. Unless your plan is to live in the UK, it's really not advisable to attend university there. Masters and grad programs are maybe a different story.

There are consulting/finance companies that recruit internationally. But I definitely agree that outside of those careers (and perhaps a few others) it would be tough to work in the US afterwards.

Its not just after college: its the summer internships.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:As others have noted, UK schools operate on a completely different wavelength from US schools. And the Oxbridge schools are also, to the best of my knowledge, different from the rest of the UK schools, being on the tutorial scheme.

American unis are world-renowned for the liberal arts approach, where students are encouraged to study a wider array of subjects. In this sense, the modern American uni is designed not just to educate, but to socialize and equip students to be "well-rounded leaders" and productive members of society. Hence the emphasis on "holistic" admissions and extracurricular achievements on top of scores.

I would generally agree with the notion that Oxbridge equals Ivy League+, but it's tricky because in my experience, the prestige/quality of schools in the UK drops off pretty significantly after those schools + perhaps UCL, Imperial, LSE. Whereas in America, there's a much more steady gradient of elite/prestigious schools. I would maybe even say that the top 5 UK schools are roughly equivalent to the top 25 or so schools in the US in terms of quality and reputation. This also lines up rather nicely with both countries' populations (US is about 5x population of UK).

What does it take for an American to be accepted to a good university there? What is the main admissions criteria?

The main criteria are test scores - AP, SAT (general and subject) and ACT. My kid applied to Oxford, so I am mostly familiar with that. They have a specified cutoffs for test scores, i.e. if you don’t have them, don’t bother to apply. Then they give you a written test (you can take it in US) which is really hard; barely anyone gets >80%, 65%+ gets you considered for admissions. Based on that test results plus the letter of recommendation and the p ersonal statement that is submitted with the application, the prospective students are selected for an in-person interview, which is effectively an oral exam.

This is unhelpful. ONLY Oxford administers an entry exam. No other university in the UK does this.

Cambridge does, too. Sometimes it is before interview; most often, however, it is at interview and specific to the subject area that you're applying to. Honestly, the Oxford approach might be better as it makes for a grueling two days at Cambridge. The whole process has been upended due to Covid so I'm not sure what it will look like moving forward.

Wrong. Oxford no longer requires exam

Right. Depends upon course of study but almost all require the admissions test. https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/guide/admissions-tests

Couple years ago, DC applied to several UK Unis including ICL for Comp Sci. After initial UCAS screening based on SATs/APs/relevant ECs, was invited for/went to the technical interviews. ICL result was an offer that specified he/she take one of the Cambridge Math entrance exams for final admittance. Took the exam at the British International School in DC. Only Maths test DC's ever cried during... Ended up with good offers elsewhere in the UK but decided to stay in the States.

A level exams are run on two boards - the Cambridge Board and the London Board- you're confusing A level Math exams with specific college entrance exams.

Cambridge STEP.

SATs and APs are used as A-Level substitutes.

Yes I know what the A level subs are thank you. I listed them up thread!

[Anonymous]

I'm a chemist/biochemist and I think some of the concerns in STEM fields about not finding a job in the US are overblown in my area. If your child wants to work at a US company or go to grad school in the US, it's going to be a non-issue if they have a UK degree. There may be some networking that is lost, and the student might need to do a bit more leg work. Ultimately, though, biotech companies want to hire qualified people, and not having to deal with visa issues is a plus (which a US citizen would not have). Grad schools accept students from all over the world, and it would only be a talking point of curiosity as to why they made that choice.